OBI Seafoods is planning a full-scale, fully staffed exhibit at Seafood Expo North America in Boston March 13-15, to introduce the company to new customers and start taking orders for the 2020 harvest of wild Alaska salmon, says Chief Executive Officer Mark Palmer.
“With forecasts for the Alaska salmon season out, the show is well times for those customers looking to secure the volumes they need for the coming year,” Palmer said. “It also helps us with our operational planning for summer, which is already in full swing.”
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists are forecasting a run of 75.27 million sockeye salmon into Bristol Bay in the summer of 2022, 44% more than the most recent 10-year average, and 111% greater than the long-term average of 35.73 million fish.
OBI Seafoods formed in 2020 through the merger of Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods. The company operates 10 processing facilities in Alaska, and is a leading producer of fresh, frozen and canned Alaska seafood.
Palmer said OBI has had a high level of interest from its global customers to see them in person at the show to discuss 2022 production.
Seafood Expo North America, a major national seafood show produced by Diversified Communications, was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While some companies like OBI Seafoods are returning, others, like Peter Pan Seafood, have opted to stay away in 2022, saying it’s too risky health wise for their employees.
